Renegade Riddims: DJ Komatose

32 year old Ashley Perera, aka DJ Komatose, is a Software Engineer by day and a crowd-pleaser by night. The born and raised Brummie has 18 years of mixing experience under his belt and has been known to work the ones and twos on both vinyl and digital. Now with his own well-refined minimalistic and dark style, he’s been producing his own music for the last 15 years but the pandemic and lockdown proved advantageous, as 9 months of hard graft while furloughed saw his production game take off. So far he’s seen his music already released on Off-License Records, Dippyboii Recordings, Bare Necessity Records and 0121 Recordings.

Influenced by his very own blood, his cousin, 10 years his elder, is partially to thank for his presence on the scene; from his first rave to his first mix, he was right there to teach and inspire, as exemplified excellently by his quality music, Komatose has taken his advice and run with it. More big influences of his are Amoss, Enei and Kasra. For Komatose, the first and most difficult step was starting. Now making impressive and professional tracks, he has not only earnt places supporting Break, Zinc and Halogenix but has built up a dangerous new confidence which will really set him in good stead as he continues to make tunes and network with the scene to inevitably make more magic happen.

2023 promises to be a big year for this guy, so make sure you keep your eyes and ears open!

DJ Komatose adds another notch to his post with a brand new mix that he’s curated for us. Filled with tracks that he’s rinsing and some of his own creations, this one’s a real weekend party starter! The mix features tracks from the likes of Resslek, Amoss, Jaydan, Waeys, Hoax, Phibes, Zero T, Smooth and loads more!

Check out the mix below and download it for free here!

Q&A:

Sum up this mix in 10 words…

Starting deep and dark before morphing into hard and energetic

What’s your personal favourite track on it?

Amoss – Magnum Meal. It’s been in almost every set since its release in 2020. It mixes well with absolutely everything.

What’s the special ingredient in this mix?

Blends! When I make a mix I want to aim for the next tune to go hand in hand with the one already playing, bouncing off each other in kind of a call and response manner. I also tried to make it a little bit of journey. Starting with more of the style that I like to play now before morphing into the style where I really cut my teeth, which is Dancefloor/Neurofunk inspired heaviness. 

Tell us about your next EP?

March 23rd sees my Pump Action EP released on Dreambass UK. It’s a bit of a full-spectrum EP. It’s got liquid, a bit of jungle and some minimal stuff just for good measure. I’ve teamed up with my good mate MC Daddy G to bring you a 420 inspired roller. 

What have you got coming up?

I’m playing at Rumble In The Jungle when they bring their tour up to Birmingham at the end of March, I’m super excited about getting a little bit of that Bristol sound up to the Midlands. They’ve teamed up with my colleagues at RCE as well as the team from Weird Science to bring a huge lineup to Brum. That’s happening on the 25th March at the Mill in Digbeth. (Get tickets here!)

When was the last time you actually raved?

It gets harder and harder to do as I get older with family and work commitments but I played at Hospitality Halloween in Birmingham last year and ended up staying right to the very end of that event, it was incredible. Although I’ve never been one to get right into the thick of it during a rave, I’m more of a stand at the back and appreciate the vibe kinda guy. 

And finally, do you have a special message for our readers?

Support your local promoters! I know the huge events are amazing and filled with your favourite acts but I have no doubt that there are some incredible underground artists that you’re missing out on. 

TRACKLIST:

01 – Resslek – Flash

02 – Amoss – Pico De Gallo 

03 – Jaydan – Funktion

04 – Wallhack – Whisper

05 – Nautika – R.E.M State

06 – Enei & Kasra – Code Words

07 – DJ Komatose – Mind Of A Madman Ft Mouthy [R3IDY Remix]

08 – Amoss – Magnum Meal

09 – Grimesy & T-Man – Quantum Leap [Teej Remix]

10 – Waeys – Take 2007

11 – Nymfo – Crush

12 – Hoax – Nebula

13 – Leks – Addict 

14 – Stokka – Camo

15 – Amoss – Blessy

16 – R3IDY – Check It [DJ Komatose Remix]

17 – Zero T – Sonic Bionic VIP

18 – Klimate – Miss U

19 – Waeys – 2 Note Wonder

20 – Bennie – Flexin

21 – DJ Komatose – A Shade Darker Ft MC Daddy G

22 – Redlight – 9TS Baby [Disrupta Bootleg]

23 – Millbrook – Rituals VIP

24 – Hoax – Crowd Control

25 – Noisia & The Upbeats – Dustup

26 – Document One & A Little Sound – Back To Me

27 – Dimension – Whip Slap II

28 – Joe Ford & Document One – Care For Me

29 – Smooth – Eraser

30 – L Plus – Bounty 

31 – State Of Mind & Smooth – Runaway Train

32 – Phibes – Bubblin

33 – Donny Brook – Universe

34 – Smooth – Roly Poly